Main » Over 55s flock to Facebook as teenagers leave in droves for Snapchat

Over 55s flock to Facebook as teenagers leave in droves for Snapchat

12 February 2018

Facebook is predicted to lose ground with United Kingdom users aged between 12 and 17 in 2018 while over 55s are set to become one of its largest demographics, according toeMarketer.

Fewer people aged between 12 and 24 are regularly logging into Facebook, eMarketer's upcoming report on United Kingdom digital users will show later this month.

eMarketer predicts that the number of US Facebook users under 12 (below the minimum age for registering on the site) will drop by 9.3% this year, while the number of users between 12 and 17, and 18 and 24 will decrease by 5.6% and 5.8% respectively. It's also forecast that use among this group is likely to fall to 81.5 per cent by 2021.

While Facebook's overall user count still stands well ahead of sister brand Instagram and rivals Snapchat and Twitter, eMarketer says audience share is declining among younger age groups.

In 2018, close to 43 percent of United Kingdom social network users will log onto Snapchat, that's more than double its penetration rate from three years ago.

Facebook is losing end-users among teens and young adults, according to eMarketer's report on United Kingdom digital users. Snapchat's popularity with teens and young adults rose significantly since the platform first launched in 2011.

Mr Zuckerberg said "video and other public content have exploded on Facebook in the past couple of years", meaning there is "more public content than posts from your friends and family". "The challenge and opportunity for Snap is how to appeal beyond that core youth demographic".